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Osteo or tissue healing device, kit and method of using the same

Osteo or tissue healing device, kit and method of using the same description/claims

The present invention relates to medical device accessories, more particularly to an osteo or tissue healing device, kit and method of using the device for use in promoting healing of compromised bone or tissue in a living mammal is disclosed.

This invention relates to a new and novel device, kit and method of using the device to improve the regeneration of bone and tissue in animals including humans, companion animals (such as dogs, cats, rabbits and the like) farm and working animals (such as horses, cows and the like) and laboratory and other animals, by the induction of a sequence of electromagnetic pulses with a mandatory relaxation period between the pulses. The tissue may include skeletal tissue, bone of all types, cartilage of all types, ligaments, and tendons. The period of time during which the electromagnetic energy is induced, or present, in the area of interest, usually an area in need of regeneration and growth is herein referred to as the “active” period. The period of time between the active periods is referred to as the “relaxation period” also called an “inactive period.” There may be a transition period between the active and relaxation periods usually required because the apparatus and real target system does not have an instantaneous response nor is it always advisable to induce such rapid response into the target area. The preferred embodiment utilizes an extremely short active period, 200 microseconds, during which an electromagnetic field is induced over the area of a broken bone or other tissue to be regenerated. The relaxation period is preferably 100 milliseconds. The relaxation period thus can occupy 99.8% of the time. It is thought that this long relaxation period is important because during this time the tissues, surrounding interstitial components, fluids, soluble ions, and other species are able to function in a normal manner not under the influence of the electromagnetic field or pulse. However, it is also thought that the intermittent temporary presence of an electromagnetic pulse momentarily disrupts the normal tissue behavior by freeing individual species to become again mobile, by increasing their chemical activity or availability, by synchronizing their diffusive or oscillatory behavior, by changing the conformation, presentation, size or other feature of active sites, by biasing the decay rate or path or outcome of unstable species, by transient entrainment or synchronization of molecular or ionic processes, by “pinging” or “ringing” the system allowing the system to restabilize in a different preferred rest state (analogous to shaking a sieve or tapping or vibrating a container to cause the contents to settle in a different arrangement, but on a much smaller scale so the physics is different but analogous, or other transient perturbation heretofore undescribed mechanistically but resulting in observable chemical and biological effects. Collectively we refer to these mechanisms as “activation” of the species in question. These Pulse-relaxation events presumably act upon molecules and charged species directly, and the time scale of the change in the electromagnetic field is such that it corresponds to the time constants for molecular events such as ion diffusion across membranes, ligand binding and release events, altering molecule associations, and protein folding (nano-seconds to micro-seconds).

Other schemes or processes, such as bulk mechanical shaking or sinusoidal electromagnetic perturbations of low frequency do not yield similar therapeutic effects due to the physical scale of the presumed mechanisms involved, which operate at very low Reynolds number. The amplitude of the field is limited so as to facilitate these extremely rapid electromagnetic transient perturbations, but the amplitude of the field is not thought to functionally or permanently disrupt the normal activity of the species in question. It is thought that the relaxation period is a key feature of this therapeutic approach that allows the species to resume normal unbiased interactions subsequent to the imposition of the transient magnetic field pulses but provides the benefit of the new arrangement of the component species. A possible key to understanding the therapeutic beneficial effects of compromised bones is that it can be thought of as being associated with the known early mobilization processes of bone or tissue healing, repair and maintenance. It appears that even externally imposed magnetic field pulse relaxation sequences can even provide a number of these therapeutic benefits to relative large scale limbs. Part of our scheme is envisioned to impose rapidly changing magnetic fields in and around compromised bones or tissue with a secondary electromagnetic state. It is also possible for the active and relaxation periods to consist of different electromagnetic waveforms over time, to be repetitive or non-repetitive, and to be regular or irregular in rhythm.

A similar and analogous situation may be effected by which the initial field introduced is electric, and the secondary induced field is magnetic. The ultimate outcome within the target area is the same. In this case the field generation means is by parallel plates or other means for generating the electric field whose time varying nature then induces the secondary magnetic field. The same concept of active and relaxation periods, and the description above, holds. The electromagnetic field pulses, active, and relaxation periods may also be generated and transmitted by an antennae arrangement.

Depending on the specific conditions under which the magnetic field pulse relaxation sequences are applied and the concomitant various shapes of the electromagnetic field waveforms that compose the sequences during these periods and the transition periods, different tissue function regulating effects may also be affected. In the preferred embodiment, improved bone healing from damage is the tissue function regulation achieved. The invention is particularly useful in regeneration of bone in humans and bone in companion animals (such as dogs, cats, rabbits and the like) farm and working animals (such as horses, cows and the like) and laboratory animals. Other background conditions and therapeutic interventions are envisioned to lead to their own particular regulatory outcome but the fundamental process of activation of the species by imposing these rapidly changing alternating magnetic field pulses coupled to relatively long relaxation periods for bio-molecular processes to proceed unimpeded is a constant theme in this invention. For example, even stem cells are thought to be affected by imposing these rapidly changing alternating magnetic field pulses coupled to relatively long relaxation periods which we believe enables an enhanced interaction of the multiple species by intermittent mobilization (during the active period) and, perhaps more importantly, the provision of the relaxation period during which assimilation and organization by natural bio-molecular processes may proceed. The particular target tissue effect, in character and degree, and particular regulation function may be determined and optimized by setting the various adjustable parameters such as duration of the active and relaxation periods and specific waveform thereof. In fact, the relaxation period may be adjusted to be of lesser duration than the active period, as tissue response demands, but is always associated with an active period and/or transition period(s). Other uses envisioned for this invention include delivery of chemotherapeutic agents into a tumor and may be termed as “bioavailability” enhancement by electromagnetic pulse relaxation techniques as a general class of applications. This class of electromagnetic pulse relaxation applications may be used in combination with and enhance other treatment modalities.

The present device, kit and method of using, according to the principles of the present invention, overcomes a number of the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a novel osteo or tissue healing device, kit and method for use in promoting healing of compromised bone or tissue in a living mammal. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes a controlling circuit coupled to magnetic field emitter that emits relatively steep and sometimes short-lived magnetic field pulses during an active period. The osteo or tissue healing device may optionally provide an inactive phase in which no magnetic field pulses is imposed. Various alternate electromagnetic states, still distinct from the active period state, may permit relaxation to occur or enhance the relaxation period effects. It is thought that both these steep short-lived magnetic field pulses and the inactive periods play important roles in promoting healing processes in compromised bone and tissue. The kit includes the unassembled components of the device. The method of using the osteo or tissue healing device includes the step of applying a time variant magnetic field through the bone or tissue to promote healing of the bone or tissue.

To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a controlling circuit coupled to magnetic field emitter that emits relatively steep magnetic field pulses during these active periods in which the osteo or tissue healing device also provides an inactive phase in which no magnetic field pulses are imposed. These steep magnetic field pulses may be rising magnetic field edges, or falling magnetic edges or both.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution of the art may be better appreciated.

The invention may also include an optional power supply.

Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved osteo or tissue healing device that has many of the advantages of the prior osteo or tissue healing devices and minimizing a number of their disadvantages.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved osteo or tissue healing device that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

An even further aspect of the present invention is to provide a new and improved osteo or tissue healing device that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making the osteo or tissue healing device economically available to the buying public.

Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide an osteo or tissue healing device that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.

Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a kit comprising the un-interconnected elements of the osteo or tissue healing device. Including features for portability, mobility, low power consumption, durability, and maintainability.

Lastly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of using the kit comprising the steps of applying a time variant magnetic field through the bone or tissue to promote healing of the bone or tissue.

Unless otherwise defined, all scientific and technical terms used herein are to be construed as having the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present document, including definitions, will control. Unless otherwise indicated, materials, methods, and examples described herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution of the art may be better appreciated.

Numerous other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

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